Should it be the best 32 teams?

[1927]

The current qualification sysetm doesn't give the best 32 teams does it. Is it more important that the world is represented or that the best teams are in the finals.

New Zealand shoudn't be there by rights and if Australia had remained in their group almost certainly wouldn't be. Is it right that Oz got to chose which group they qualified in?

This isn't just a bitter welsh thread, I feel for teams like Ireland, Scotland too. Why couldn't Wales or Scotland opt to qualify in Oceania group?

 

[Teaboy]

New Zealand shoudn't be there by rights and if Australia had remained in their group almost certainly wouldn't be. Is it right that Oz got to chose which group they qualified in?

No, it's not right.

 

[tangerinedream]

no it shouldnt.

 

[tarannau]

Ach, it's a reasonable balance. There are always regional competitions as well and at least we benefit from a decent standard there in the more advanced leagues. And getting to the finals should be an achievement in itself for the smaller nations.

 

[holteman]

If it was it could be the pan European/south American cup (ok with a sprinkling of African teams these days).......

It's done this way to include And make sure there are representatives from each corner of the world.

 

[London_Calling]

This isn't just a bitter welsh thread, I feel for teams like Ireland, Scotland too. Why couldn't Wales or Scotland opt to qualify in Oceania group?

They all played in the WC - like all the European champions played in the Champions League - they just didn't make it to the Finals this time.

I like the balance, big nations and small nations, developing nations and over-bearing, with pretty well every corner of the world represented.

I also don't think of it as just a one-dimensional tournament, it's a celebration, an advert, a month long promo, etc.

 

[gunneradt]

Europe would quite clearly have more than 16 reps if it was done on the best 32 teams.

Australia would qualify in my view - they are a decent side. From the other side of the pond you would prob have Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, USA and Uruguay (perhaps or maybe not). Africa is probably over represented.

There are always one or two muppet teams - always has been.

 

[starfish]

The current qualification sysetm doesn't give the best 32 teams does it. Is it more important that the world is represented or that the best teams are in the finals.

It isnt supposed to. Yes.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

The great thing about the WC for me is getting to see teams like NZ/North korea compete against the best sides. If it was only the best 32 there would be alot more people moaning about that.

 

[frogwoman]

They all played in the WC - like all the European champions played in the Champions League - they just didn't make it to the Finals this time.

I like the balance, big nations and small nations, developing nations and over-bearing, with pretty well every corner of the world represented.

I also don't think of it as just a one-dimensional tournament, it's a celebration, an advert, a month long promo, etc.

i agree with this.

 

[1927]

It isnt supposed to. Yes.

Why?

 

[frogwoman]

maybe next time palestine will be in it, they're the fastest improving team, 70 points up the rankings since the last world cup

 

[1927]

The current situation is like having a qualifying competition for the FA Cup last 32 which had teams from each league from EPL down to Blue Square.

 

[starfish]

Why?

Because its about earning your place through regional qualification, not through divine right.

 

[frogwoman]

i think the current sitch is the best tbh.

 

[1927]

Because its about earning your place through regional qualification, not through divine right.

I dont see how an open qualification system would imply anyone had a divine right.

Answer my other point then, Australia is not in Asia so why are they qualifying via that route.

 

[London_Calling]

Because penguins and kangaroos don't play football?

 

[bluestreak]

The great thing about the WC for me is getting to see teams like NZ/North korea compete against the best sides. If it was only the best 32 there would be alot more people moaning about that.

agreed. it's a showcase, gotta be some outsiders there, otherwise it'll be the same shit every year boring as fuck like the champions league.

 

[starfish]

I dont see how an open qualification system would imply anyone had a divine right.

Answer my other point then, Australia is not in Asia so why are they qualifying via that route.

I dont either but i dont agree that the top 32 should automatically be in the Finals which i thought was your point. As a Scot, i hate us not being there but thats just the way things are.

Australia moved, i imagine, to help improve the standard of their football as playing Fiji, Solomon Islands etc etc wasnt helping their development. Its a Fifa thing.

 

[BlackArab]

Now this is the game I sat down for

 

[tangerinedream]

You couldn't fairly decide the best 32 teams cos you'd need to have a league of 200 nations competing against each other. As it is, you get that pretty much that situation, but divided up into regional groupings, hence the unfairness. It's unavoidable, because how, otherwise, how do you declare one side 'better' than the other, without some bullshit UEFA points score based on the relative merits of the teams they'd played recently and all that?

It would also bankrupt smaller nations having to take part in a global qualification tournament.

 

[tangerinedream]

The current situation is like having a qualifying competition for the FA Cup last 32 which had teams from each league from EPL down to Blue Square.

Well yes, but the solution would be like having all the teams involved from the pre-qualifying rounds and having to play a million games to get to the final. Similarly unpalatable.

 

[RaverDrew]

The current qualification sysetm doesn't give the best 32 teams does it. Is it more important that the world is represented or that the best teams are in the finals.

Ridiculous idea.

This isn't just a bitter welsh thread, I feel for teams like Ireland, Scotland too. Why couldn't Wales or Scotland opt to qualify in Oceania group?

No matter how much meddling with the format, the only way Wales will qualify is through being the host nation.

They'd seriously struggle to qualify in the Oceania group.

 

[1927]

Why would you need millions of games? 208 members of FIFA. If you want 32 teams in finals, host country and previous winners automatically qualify along with top 6 teams in world. 24 more teams needed. 24>48>96>192, so 3 rounds would get 192 down to 24 in a free draw, jobs a good un! This would also have the benefit of shortening the qualifying campaign so that the poor dabs would not have to overplay, and allow a mid season break to be brought in.

 

[Maltin]

24 more teams needed. 24>48>96>192, so 3 rounds would get 192 down to 24 in a free draw, jobs a good un! This would also have the benefit of shortening the qualifying campaign so that the poor dabs would not have to overplay, and allow a mid season break to be brought in.

I'm not sure 3 competitive games in 2 years is going to go down well with many national teams or their followers.

 

[1927]

I'm not sure 3 competitive games in 2 years is going to go down well with many national teams or their followers.

There the African Cup of Nations, European Champs etc.

Home internationals could come back.

 

[ericjarvis]

The current qualification sysetm doesn't give the best 32 teams does it. Is it more important that the world is represented or that the best teams are in the finals.

New Zealand shoudn't be there by rights and if Australia had remained in their group almost certainly wouldn't be. Is it right that Oz got to chose which group they qualified in?

This isn't just a bitter welsh thread, I feel for teams like Ireland, Scotland too. Why couldn't Wales or Scotland opt to qualify in Oceania group?

Can't be done any other way and really be a World Cup. It has to give every nation that enters a chance of qualification for the finals. So it has to have some form of regional groups, because there's no way a qualifying competition would work if it had something like qualifying groups containing Albania, Gabon, Chile, Vanuatu, and Uzbekistan. So given that it requires regional qualifying I think the current format is pretty good.

The alternative would be an invitation tournament according to FIFA rankings, which in my view would be about as crap as always having the FA Cup Final played between the two top teams in the Premiership.

 

[Silva]

The current qualification sysetm doesn't give the best 32 teams does it. Is it more important that the world is represented or that the best teams are in the finals.

New Zealand shoudn't be there by rights and if Australia had remained in their group almost certainly wouldn't be. Is it right that Oz got to chose which group they qualified in?

This isn't just a bitter welsh thread, I feel for teams like Ireland, Scotland too. Why couldn't Wales or Scotland opt to qualify in Oceania group?

Australia moved out because the OFC was constantly being shafted by FIFA. They were the only confederation champions that still had to play against a team given a second chance after failing to qualify through their own confederations' group phase. Since giving the OFC a direct spot would make other confederations a bit peeved up, allowing them to move to Asia was the next obvious choice.

Plus, every competition there's a surplus 3 or 4 european teams who don't add anything to the competition (right now, Greece, Serbia, France and Portugal looked under standards). Even if we culled the Costa Rica, Honduras, New Zealand, Algeria, NK or Australian spots and give them to "worthy" teams, there's a big chance those teams would be equally as rubbish.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

The current system is fine - part of the magic of the WC is seeing teams like North Korea and Paraguay giving teams like Brazil and Italy a fright. If we decided the finalists on the top 32 teams in the world rankings, we might as well not bother having a world cup at all - we could just give the trophy to the top ranking team: Brazil.

 

[RaverDrew]

Why allow teams into the tournament when they have zero chance of winning it ? At least Wales had the good grace to show how shit they are in the qualifiers and bow out.